-spash:<image> can't be combined with -xStartOnFirstThread since JDK 7

FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
java version "1.7.0_45"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.7.0_45-b18)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 24.45-b08, mixed mode)

ADDITIONAL OS VERSION INFORMATION :
Darwin cwulf.local 13.0.0 Darwin Kernel Version 13.0.0: Thu Sep 19 22:22:27 PDT 2013; root:xnu-2422.1.72~6/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
I am launching a SWT application with a splash screen using:

java -splash:splash.jpg -XstartOnFirstThread -jar application.jar

The splash screen was correctly displayed very early using JDK 6.
As no Swing/AWT window is opened I had to close the splash screen manually using:

java.awt.SplashScreen.getSplashScreen().close();

That worked fine on JDK 6.

Since JDK 7 the splash screen isn't displayed fast (it appears together with the SWT window) and the application freezes when the slash screen is closed manually.

Omitting -XStartOnFirstThread displays the splash screen early as before on JDK 6 but the argument is required for SWT applications.


REGRESSION. Last worked in version 6u45

ADDITIONAL REGRESSION INFORMATION:
java version "1.6.0_65"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_65-b14-462-11M4609)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 20.65-b04-462, mixed mode)

STEPS TO FOLLOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM :
Run the program from "Source code for an executable test case" with JVM arguments -splash:splash.jpg -XstartOnFirstThread




EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
Application freezes

REPRODUCIBILITY :
This bug can be reproduced always.

---------- BEGIN SOURCE ----------
package test;

public class SplashTest {

public static void main(String[] args) {
java.awt.SplashScreen.getSplashScreen().close();
}
}

---------- END SOURCE ----------